Day 9

Good afternoon everyone, today we split up into 2 groups. Group one: Dave, Alisha, Trent, Lisa, Judy, Mike, and Michelle had an early morning to leave for their outreach mission at 8:00am. They celebrated mass together in their very compact church. one thing that was very shocking to our missionaries was to see so many young teens pregnant while in Mbanga. After having mass the people of Mbanga prepared a meal for all of them and had presents awaiting. The meal consisted of shima (cornmeal and boiled water churned to a solid) chicken, and cabbage. Each person received a present from the village of Mbanga to show their gratitude towards the Sancta Maria mission, Dave: rooster and a broom [to sweep away anything in the way of evangelism] Lisa, Alisha, Michelle, and Judy: carved wooden spoon [they will never go hungry while spending time in Mbanga] Mike: welcome mat [symbolizing always having comfort and somewhere to stay] Trent: hand woven basket. Everyone was so touched by their incredible hospitality and inspiring faith. Back in the mission the rest of the group: Jonathon, Alexis, Liz, Brandon, Annette, John, and Audrey, had fun interacting with the kids. Liz as usual was seen under the shade teaching the kids various dances that brought infinite smiles and giggles, something she will always have to cherish when we leave Lukulu. Alexis got a volleyball tournament going which is a very popular sport here. It was a great success and I must admit even after loosing i can still say I had a great time with the older kids. they are all very welcoming and kind hearted which will be one of the reasons that leaving will be a a lot more difficult than expected. Most of the young adults went to talk to Sister Pat and Sister Liz about the history and background of the many things she contributes to the Sancta Maria mission. It was very insightful and really gave a great perspective on the day to day life of a religous leader. After dinner again the young adults went to talk to Father Kapya about the problems teens face in the society of Zambia. Comparing to the United States most of the topics are prevalent but the severity level is much lower. We gave great advice to Father on ways to help the teens as he takes on the title of the youth leader in the Diocese of Mongu. Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers God Bless!